Oxmo
Oxmo is the reason this place exists. The Dog Grief Guide was written after losing him, and this wall was built so every dog gets what he has here: a place where the love stays. What I'll always remember is how he felt. Dense and powerful, a born athlete. I could say "get the ball" and he was already gone, and he could swim all day: pool, beach, lake, didn't matter. But so kind, so sweet. Perfect to me in every way. Everywhere Oxmo went got better. More fun, more chill, more cool. He made car rides funner. A coffee run with him felt like a special event. He was so dope, honestly.
What he taught me
He taught me about loyalty. About family. He's the one who made my house feel like a home. And he left me the two rules I still live by: the number one thing in life is to have fun and love. The second is to love your family. I'll never forget him.
Why this wall exists
I got Oxmo when I was 18 years old.
I was in the middle of transferring from college in Arizona back to Los Angeles when I drove up to the Bay Area to bring him home. He was eight weeks old. Just this tiny golden retriever puppy who looked like a little perfect potato.
For just under six years, he became the best part of almost everything I did.
Oxmo was beautiful, built like an Olympian, and somehow carried himself with this very serious, presidential energy. He was incredibly smart. If he wanted a treat, he would point his nose toward it. If he wanted to play, he brought me his ball. If he wanted to go somewhere, he showed me his leash and would paw at the front door of my house.
And every time I came home, he greeted me like I had been gone for ten years.
He was adventurous, athletic, loyal, sensitive, and deeply connected to me. If I was sad, he felt it too. He was my shadow, my best friend, and the first dog I ever went out into the world and chose for myself.
He made ordinary life better. A coffee run was better because Oxmo was there. A walk was better. A drive was more fun. Some of my favorite memories are simply the two of us exploring parks and hiking together and just taking a seat being with him.
Then, in September of 2022, I lost him suddenly in a tragic accident.
There was no warning. He was fine that morning.
Nothing prepared me for everything that came afterward. Or the guilt. Or waking up and realizing that the routines we had repeated thousands of times were suddenly gone. That he was gone. The world seemed to expect me to return to normal, but for a long time, I couldn't. I lost family.
Eventually, I realized that if I could turn even a small part of that pain into something that helped another person feel less alone, then something good could continue to come from Oxmo's life.
That is why I created The Dog Grief Guide, and it is why I created this Community Wall.
I want Oxmo to be remembered not for the way he died, but for the way he lived. For his strength. His loyalty. His ridiculous intelligence. His ball. His adventures. The way he made every room, every walk, and every ordinary day better simply by being there.
And I want that for your dog too.
Our dogs deserve to be spoken about. Their photographs deserve to be seen. Their stories deserve to be told. Their lives deserve far more space than the way we lost them.
If you are in the deepest part of grief right now, I hope this community reminds you that there is no timeline you need to follow. A profound loss deserves a profound response. Take your time.
My hope is that the Dog Grief Guide and this wall can make that road a little less lonely, and that one day, at your own pace, remembering your dog begins to bring more smiles than tears.
Thank you for sharing them here.
They are remembered.
Nate
Oxmo's story is told in The Dog Grief Guide.